Saturday, June 30, 2012

Stop. Breathe. Catch your breath. I am going at a crazy pace lately and trying to get it all done. And wanting to get ready for the Fourth of July in addition to several fantastic events. Yesterday I went to an event for EcoLife Foundation, for which I was to style the two buffet tables. It took me three HOURS to get there, and when I arrived the event was starting. Gulp. But I have to say, Bill Toone is amazing and I sure hope to help the Foundation out in the future. Despite the traffic and stress, I tried to keep a smiling face. The hostess was ill and did not attend, and her dear husband did the two tables not knowing I was coming to style them; it all worked out fine. Our hostess is also growing fantastic sunflowers; this alone would make you smile after three hours sitting in traffic~

Arriving home last evening I made a late dinner for my parents and got ready for today; time to trot out the red white & blue~

My booth today~

The front table is draped in a newer bunting. Looking at it here gave me a great idea….hmmm…..

After helping my former partner with her storage unit and making a crapload of sample food for my sis for her event next weekend (she loved it; I’m on), I got home at 7pm to get to a little work….my little mossy chair which was formerly the Romantic Homes burlap slipcover chair in the Give Freely shoot was ready for another makeover. I have had lots of inquiries about mossy pieces, but this was really just for Earth Day. And after three events, it was looking pretty shabby, so I started to deconstruct it.

First the top part~

Pry pry…..

then the horsehair seat; after several photo shoots it was time to remove the muslin, the moss & glue was a MESS!!~

Here she plain & simple~

BUT lucky chair, this week she gets a patriotic dress, of some sort….~

Get out the measure~

Hop to my trusty sewing machine (Mom’s)~

Get a little moral support from the Limoges Leopard, long one of my favorites~

and with a little pinning and sewing….

and then glueing~

…she starts to take shape, my pretty new Patriotic Chair!

She’s dressed up and ready to go to Market tomorrow morning. Another post to follow tomorrow~

Thursday, June 28, 2012

I was in the midst of painting out the ceiling of the little back room when I started to think of how to finish it. Nothing too dark, something on hand….something to help the room…I found this long panel of silk, from ABC NY, which I used in my various New York apartments draped over a tension rod. I think I saw a pink and cream stripe of this fabric in a magazine, but when I got to ABC I loved the yellow more than the pink. I have another swatch of the pink somewhere, but I LOVE this yellow! Even today~

Just for a reminder, this is how the room used to look~

I removed the 1970 curtain rod; I will switch out for French hardware later this summer, but this does the trick for now…a long line….~

Pretty with the bed~

and the chair~

Closeup of the hardware, which was $20 for everything at home depot; ok until I swap it out~

Pretty pretty!!! My Dad says maybe he wants to stay in the room now, I said, maybe I will!

the bed itself is a nice piece in the room. It is special to me as it is the first “real” piece of furniture I bought, at ABC NYC in 1988. The details are perfect and there is no damage to it. But it’s been long sitting in the basement and garage. I much prefer to see it used here as our guest bed.

My antique dealer friend Leah keeps telling me to paint it out white, but I can’t bring myself to do that! What do you think? White, or brown? Before Laura or any guests arrive the bed will be dressed up~

The hutch has a little storage space; how about a basket there?~

yep~

Then I went at the door; tape it up and paint it~

that’s better~

Linen sheets wear in the center, but save the rest for reuse~

measured the top, sewn….

Pinned the bottom; wished Laura was here to help me but I got it done fine!

the finished product was miles better than what was there~

Entering the room, it looks…pretty and fresh…I need to have Raoul come and put in a new wood threshold, that’s next…..

The girls and I debated the placement of the nightstand; we first put it on the right, then the left, then on the right. with a marble lamp from the NY flea; the mirror will go elsewhere, and I put the magazines below, for a little nighttime reading~

With a few inspirational books; these are for Laura to peruse as she will be my first guest!

All is now in a nice vintage basket from Beaune~

With hardwood floors, you want your feet to touch something soft when getting out of bed; I took a little Ikea sheepskin that I had bought for the dogs but that they love to tear up too much; a little softness; this could be large but it works for now~

And on the far wall, my nieces selected a Dutch cow painting of mine which has been propped up in the house. It is very sweet and 18th or 19th C I can’t remember….

I love the little bit of gilt in the room to brighten it up~

I have a few finishing touches to add and will show you pics; but the room is definitely coming together, with things I have on hand so only $20 expenditure for this round~

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

We have had this “thing” in our garage for I’m going to say 20 years. Mom found it somewhere, probably at a consignment shop, and it went to UCLA with my baby sis’s apartment. Moving her out of her apartment, my Dad fell over moving this piece and the doors broke off, not to mention Dad’s back was almost broken. And so he hates this thing. And it has no place in the house. It came home and went straight to the garage.

It’s not great construction, but I love the floral/basket motif at top~

Reminds me of the Trianon; here is a pic I took last year with Laura. Potential…..major inspiration…

I wanted to paint it French Blue. That French Blue, you know, sort of grey, sort of blue, depending on the light. I made a very casual choice by going to Ganahl Lumber with this pic on my iPad and checking out a ton of colors~

But first, I primed the whole piece out; I used Ben Moore primer; not as good as Kilz IMHO~

I filled all the cracks and such~

And painted the floral motif out white~

then started to block in the color~

Soon I had this….

good match to the chip, but it seemed really….blue….

No matter, I got the nieces to come down and help me move it in….the doors didn’t work so I took it in through the window after removing the windows themselves; here she goes!!~

Gabrielle is happy here sitting on the bed after the girls got this great work done in a snap~

It was good in the new space, but the color is wrong, too blue~

the girls still thought is was ok~

We added a pair of vases from my bedroom; yes, draws your eye up and Mom said it makes her notice the pipes in the ceiling, but we liked it!

Rather than books or the like, I thought to store all my French linens here~

with silver plate trays and French prayer book the girls love, found in a chateau by a WWI soldier~

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About Me

I import classic French baskets & totes from former colonies Madagascar and Morocco. Though I live in Southern California, I spend part of my year in Burgundy and visit the south. I lived in Paris for several years while I completed the three year course in art history at the Ecole du Louvre. I am passionate about my baskets and their construction, color, art, design and bringing a little bit of the French lifestyle to the United States.